System and method for streaming games and services to gaming devices

ABSTRACT

A gaming system providing a game and/or gaming services to a player or user at a gaming or gaming services device. The device receives streaming audio-video representing the game or gaming services and plays streaming audio-video at a device. The device also receives input related to the play of the game or the gaming services from the user/player and relays the input to the gaming system. The system includes a storage device and a controller. The storage device stores elements of the game and/or gaming services. The game controller receives the input from the user/player and responsively retrieving the elements of the game and/or gaming services from the storage device, dynamically creates an audio-video stream as a function of the retrieved elements and the input, and broadcasts the audio-video stream to the gaming and/or gaming services device.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims priority to pending U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 11/559,176, filed Nov. 13, 2006, which claims thebenefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/799,290 filedon May 10, 2006 (now expired), which are hereby incorporated byreference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to gaming system, and more specifically,to a system and method for delivering games and/or services to gamingdevices using real time audio-video streaming.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A majority of the games provided at a casino are computer based. Forexample, video slot machines, video poker machines, and even mechanicalslot machines are currently controlled by computer software executed ona computer located within a game cabinet.

Due to regulatory controls, the software running the game is stored onprogram computer chips known as EEPROMs. Each EEPROM is numbered and hasan associated software version. Location and replacement of the EEPROMin a gaming cabinet, as well as software updates, is strictly regulated.Unfortunately, when a software update is desired or required, eachEEPROM must be physically replaced under strict guidelines. This is timeconsuming and expensive.

Currently some game manufacturers and casinos are moving to downloadablesystems, in which the software which runs the games is downloaded toeach game when an update or new software is available. However, as eachgame requires the most up to date software, the software must bedownloaded to each game cabinet. This is a time consuming and complextask which must be performed under the strictest guidelines. The mainfeatures and capabilities of the game itself are not changed from EPROMbased gaming systems.

Some game manufactures and casinos are moving to server-based systemswhich games run on casino servers located in casino server room.However, in these systems game graphics and/or sound data aretransferred and stored at the game cabinet in the same manner of thedownloadable systems. Regulatory controls ensure that the transfer ofthe game elements and sound data are performed under the strictestguidelines. The transfer may occur once at game activation or any timewhile the game is in service. This kind of server-based system is basedon the downloadable systems described above.

The present invention is aimed at one or more of the problems set forthabove.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In a first aspect of the present invention, a system and methoddynamically creates an audio-video stream containing a presentation ofthe games and/or services and broadcasts the audio-video stream to oneor more gaming devices which receive the audio-video stream and play itat the device.

In a second aspect of the present invention, a system and method forproviding server based real time casino gaming using audio-videostreaming technology.

In a third aspect of the present invention a gaming system for providinga game to a player at a gaming device is provided. The gaming devicereceives streaming audio-video representing a game and plays thestreaming audio-video at the device. The gaming device also receivesinput related to the player of the game from the player and relays theplayer input to the gaming system. The gaming system includes a storagedevice and game controller. The storage device stores elements of thegame. The game controller is coupled to the storage device and thegaming device and receives the player input from the player andresponsively retrieves the elements of the game from the storage device,and determines a result of the game as the result of a process. Thegaming controller dynamically creates an audio-video stream as afunction of the retrieved elements and the result of the game and thenbroadcasts the audio-video stream to the gaming device.

In a fourth aspect of the present invention the gaming system forproviding a gaming service to a user is provided. The gaming systemincludes a gaming service device, a storage device, and a gaming servicecontroller. The gaming service controller is associated with the gamingdevice and provides a gaming service in response to input from theplayer. The storage device stores the elements of the gaming service.The gaming service controller is coupled to the gaming device, thegaming service device, and the storage device and receives the playerinput from the player and responsively retrieves the elements of thegaming service from the storage device, and determines the result of thegaming service as a function of the player input. The gaming servicecontroller further dynamically creates an audio-video stream as afunction of the retrieved elements and the result of the process of thegaming service and broadcasts the audio-video stream to the gamingservice device.

In a fifth aspect of the present invention, the gaming system provides agame and gaming services to a player at a gaming device. The gamingdevice receives streaming audio-video representing the game and gamingservice and plays it at the device and receives input from the playerand relays the player input to the gaming system. The gaming systemincludes storage devices and controllers for game gaming servicerespectively. The storage devices store elements of the game and/orelements of the gaming service. The controller is coupled to the gamingdevice and the storage device and receives the player input from theplayer and responsively retrieves the elements of the game from thestorage device and plays the game. The controller also responsivelyretrieves elements of the gaming service from the storage device as afunction of the player input and dynamically creates an audio-videostream as a function of the retrieved elements of the game and thegaming service and the player input. The controller further broadcaststhe audio-video stream to the gaming device. The audio-video streamcontains both presentations of the game and the gaming services.

In a sixth aspect of the present invention a gaming system for providinga game to a player at a gaming device is provided. The gaming systemincludes a storage device and a game controller. The storage devicestores elements of a plurality of games in first and second libraries.Each library includes at least one game. The game controller selectivelyenables one of the first and second libraries based on the libraryparameter for game play.

In a seventh aspect of the present invention a gaming system provides agame and/or gaming service to a player at a gaming device. The gamingdevice receives streaming audio-video representing a game and/or gamingservice on a display and receives input from the player and relays theplayer input to the gaming system. The gaming system includes a storagedevice, player data storage device, a gaming services device, and acontroller. The storage device stores elements of the game and/orelements of the gaming services. The player data storage deviceretrieves information related to a plurality of players. The gamingservices device receives input from the player related to theidentification of the player. The controller is coupled to the gamingdevice, the gaming services device, the data storage device, and thestorage device for receiving the information related to theidentification of the player and responsively retrieving playerinformation from the player data storage device. The controller furtherreceives the player input from the player and responsibly retrieveselements of the game and/or game service from the storage device. Thecontroller dynamically creates an audio-video stream related to the gameand/or gaming services as a function of the retrieved elements of thegame and/or gaming service and the player input. At least a portion ofthe audio-video stream incorporates the player information. Thecontroller further broadcasts the audio-video stream to the gamingdevice. The audio-video stream contains both elements of the game andthe elements of the gaming services.

In an eighth aspect of the present invention, a system and method forcreating an audio-video stream of a game element of a game is provided.Player input is received from a gaming device, and in response, anaudio-video stream of a game element is created and broadcast to thecorresponding gaming device. Player input may be XY coordinates from atouchscreen sensor and/or a signal indicative of actuation of a physicalor touchscreen button. No game logic occurs at the gaming device. Theaudio-video stream broadcast to the gaming device may be targeted at themain display, a top box display, a player tracking display, or any otherdisplay. The audio-video may be by full screen or may be directed atonly a portion of a display. The game element may be part of a maingame, a bonus game, a secondary game, or other game.

In a ninth aspect of the present invention, a system and method forcreating an audio-video stream of a service (such as player tracking,alerts, messages linked player services, etc. . . . ) is provided.Similar to the Streaming Game Element, however it is directed at playertracking services or any other non-gaming services, such asreservations, hotel folio, etc. . . . The services are displayed usingstreaming audio-video. No logic occurs at the gaming device. Theservices may be provided on a player tracking device/display, the maindisplay, a top box display, and/or any other display.

In a tenth aspect of the present invention, a system and method forintegrating a audio-video stream representing game element and playersgaming services on a display at the gaming device is provided. TheStreaming Game Elements and the Streaming Services are integrated into asingle audio-video stream and/or separate audio-video streams which areplayed in separate areas of the same display.

In an eleventh aspect of the present invention, a system and method forsynchronizing sounds and/or volume of game and/or service elements in agaming system is provided. Sounds and Volume and other elements may besynchronized in time and/or volume. Alerts, messages, including wins,may cause some type of action on a number of machines. This action maybe integrated into the audio-video streams broadcast to the gamingdevices.

In a twelfth aspect of the present invention, a system for providingaudio-video streams of games and/or services to gaming machines ordevices is provided. Gaming devices may be grouped together, e.g., bylocation and/or by function. An audio-video stream may be created foreach gaming device within a group, where each stream is part of acomposite stream composed of the audio-video streams for all of thegaming devices within a group and the composite stream forms a unifiedstream and/or message and/or signal.

In a twelfth aspect of the present invention, a gaming system forproviding a library of games is provided. The gaming system provides theability to define, modify, and provide different offers or combinationsof games in a library. Within a library of games, different groupings ofavailable games may be made available based on different criteria,including time of day, player criteria, etc. . . .

In a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, player data orinformation may be integrated into a streaming audio-video of a gameand/or gaming service. The data or information may include the nameand/or of the player, the player's family, or other people referred toin the player account, into the game element. For example, in a bonusgame having a sports theme, the player's name may appear on the back ofa sports jersey and/or the player's family's pictures may appear asfaces in the crowd.

In a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, an applicationprogramming interface or API is provided which provides a common gameengine. Games written under the API may be added to a game library. Thiswould allow third parties to write games or provide services and allowthe games and/or service to be integrated into the game library andoffered via Server Based Gaming System with Streaming Audio-Video.Ideally, the third party games would be located on a separate server.

In a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, a gaming system providesa plurality of games and/or gaming services to a player on a display.The system includes a gaming device, a storage device and a gamecontroller. The gaming device includes a display and a set of usercontrols. The user controls receive player input. The gaming devicereceives streaming audio-video representing the games and plays thestreaming audio-video on the display. The display includes multiplesections wherein each game and/or gaming service is displayed within itsown section of the display. The storage device stores elements of thegame. The game controller is coupled to the storage device and thegaming device for receiving the player input from the player device andresponsively retrieving the elements of the game from the storagedevice, for playing the games, and responsively, dynamically creating asingle audio-video stream as a function of the retrieved elements, theplayer input, game and for broadcasting the audio-video stream to thegaming device, the audio-video stream representing the games by a singleaudio-video stream or multiple audio-video streams.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a gaming system for providing a game to aplayer at a gaming device, according to an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a gaming system for providing a gamingservice to a player, according to an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 3A is a block diagram of a gaming system for providing a game and agaming service to a player, according to an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 3B is a block diagram of a game contents storage device, accordingto a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3C is a block diagram of a game contents storage device accordingto another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3D is a block diagram of a game device having a display andcontrols, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3E is a block diagram of a game services device having a displayand controls, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3F is a game device having a touchscreen display used to provide agame and game services to a player, whose display has virtual multiplescreen sections where each game and gaming service is displayed,according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is diagrammatical illustration of a gaming system having a gamecontrol server, a game contents storage server, an audio-video streamcreation server and an audio-video stream broadcasting server forproviding game and/or game services to different types of gamingdevices;

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating the flow of data and streamingaudio-video in a gaming system, according to an embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 6 is a diagrammatical illustration of the interface between a gameterminal of the present invention and an existing casino managementsystem;

FIG. 7 is a system block diagram of a gaming system for providing gamesto gaming devices;

FIG. 8 is a diagrammatical illustration of a computer network utilizedin the gaming system, according to an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 9 is a block diagram associated with the application control serverin a gaming system, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a flow diagram showing game results and streaming audio-videoin a gaming system, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a more detailed block diagram of a gaming system, accordingto an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing various network connections in a gamingsystem, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 13 is a block diagram of a gaming system which provides games frommore than one manufacturer via streaming audio-video, according to anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 14 is second diagram of a gaming system for providing games viastreaming audio-video from a plurality of manufacturers;

FIG. 15 is a third diagram of a gaming system of FIGS. 13 and 14;

FIG. 16 is a flow diagram of game installation in a gaming system,according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 17 is a block diagram of a game software package utilized in agaming system, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 18 is a block diagram of two different databases utilized in agaming system, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 19 is a flow diagram illustrating game play flow in a gamingsystem, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 20 is a block and flow diagram illustrating the connection use of alegacy system gateway within the gaming system of the present invention;

FIG. 21 is a data and flow diagram with respect to a gaming device foruse with a gaming system, according to an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 22 is a data and flow diagram of a remote configuration process foruse in a gaming system, according to an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 23 is a block and flow diagram of a player tracking fund transferprocess in a gaming system, according to an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 24 is a block and flow diagram of a system for allowingcompetitor's games to be utilized with the gaming system of the presentinvention;

FIG. 25 is a block and flow diagram of the connection use of remotegaming devices within the gaming system, according to an embodiment ofthe present invention;

FIG. 26 is a block and flow diagram of the use of the gaming system ofthe present invention with internet devices;

FIG. 27 is a block and flow diagram of an audio-video rendering andaudio-video broadcasting server for use in the gaming system of thepresent invention;

FIG. 28 is a first exemplary screen shot of a game device for providinga plurality of games and gaming services to a player; and

FIG. 29 is a second exemplary screen shot of a game device for providinga plurality of games and gaming services to a player.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

With reference to the drawings and in operation, the present inventionprovides a gaming system 10 for providing a game and/or gaming servicesto one or more players. Generally, the game and gaming services areprovided using dynamically created streaming audio-video. In one aspectof the present invention, the game or game service is run, executed orperformed on a controller 12, 12A, 12B at a central location (see below)and only the dynamically created audio-video stream is broadcast to aremotely located gaming (or game) device, gaming services devices orother terminal (see below) 14, 14A, 14B. The audio-video stream isdisplayed to a user on a display 26, 30, 34, such as player and/oremployee of a casino or other user. The device 14, 14A, 14B includes aset of user controls 28, 32, 38, 40 and a processor 27, 33. User inputfrom the controls 28, 32, 38, 40 is relayed to the controller 12, 12A,12B for processing.

In one embodiment, the controls 28, 32, 38, 40 are mechanical buttonsand switches (not shown). In another embodiment, the display 26, 30, 34is a touchscreen device and the controls 28, 32, 38, 40 are implementedas designated locations or areas on the display 26, 30, 34. When theuser touches the touchscreen display 26, 30, 34, the location, e.g., x,y coordinates, is relayed back to the controller 12, 12A, 12B whichinterprets and processes the location.

With particular reference to FIG. 1, in one aspect of the presentinvention, the gaming system 10 provides a game to a player at a gamingdevice 14A.

In one embodiment, the player is allowed to place a wager on the gameand the game is played. The player may be awarded an award, e.g., prize,pot, or jackpot based on the outcome of the game. The award may beawarded in cash, credits, coins, tokens, or other items or merchandise.Such games are typically provided at a casino, but may be provided atother locations or at remote locations (see below). Such games include,but are not limited to, video and mechanical slot machines, video pokergames, and the like. Examples of several typical games may be found inthe following commonly assigned U.S. patent documents, which are herebyincorporated by reference in their entirety:

-   U.S. Pat. No. 6,939,228 issued Sep. 6, 2005 to Toshiaki Shimizu,-   U.S. Pat. No. 6,869,360 issued Mar. 22, 2005 to Howard R. Marks et    al,-   U.S. Pat. No. 6,805,632 issued Oct. 19, 2004 to Satoshi Suda,-   U.S. Pat. No. 6,547,242 issued Apr. 15, 2003 to Arata Sugiyama et    al,-   U.S. Patent Application Publication 2002/0119818 published Aug. 29,    2002 listing Russell Savio et al as the inventors, and-   U.S. Patent Application Publication 2003/0083120 published May 1,    2003, listing Darren DeWall et al as the inventors.

In another embodiment, the game requires no wagering. For example, thesystem 10 provides a game to the player, typically, in exchange for somepayment.

Since the device 14, 14A, 14B only requires the relaying of controlinformation from the controls 28, 32, 38, 40 and the ability to play thestreaming audio-video, the processing power, and memory and storagerequirements of the device 14, 14A, 14B need not be high. As describedbelow, the gaming device 14, 14A, 14B may include, but is not limitedto: a networked terminal located on the premises, e.g., a casino; aremote device (such as a personal digital assistance or PDA) wireconnected to the system 10 through a wireless network, and an internetdevice connected to the system 10 across the internet (or other suitablenetwork).

It should be noted that while FIGS. 1-3 illustrate (and the accompanyingdescription below), various controller(s), the function and componentsassociated therewith may be distributed or performed among variouscomputers or servers as appropriate. Furthermore, while additionalembodiments with various computer system architectures are describedbelow, it should be noted that the present invention is not limited toany such embodiment.

Returning to FIG. 1, the gaming device 14A receives the streamingaudio-video, which represents the game and plays the streamingaudio-video on a display 26 (see FIG. 3D). The gaming device 14Areceives input related to the play of the game from the player viacontrols 28 and relays the player input to the controller 12A.

As shown in FIG. 1, the system 10 may include a plurality of gamingdevices 14A-01, 14A-02 . . . , and 14A-n. The player may utilize one ofthe gaming devices 14A-01, 14A-02 . . . , and 14A-n.

The system 10 includes a storage device or game contents storage device16 storing elements of the game (see below) and a game controller 12A.The game controller 12A is coupled to the storage device 16A and thegaming device 14A for receiving the player input from the player andresponsively retrieving the elements of the game from the storage device16A, The game controller 12A runs or plays the game and responsively,dynamically creates an audio-video stream as a function of the retrievedelements and the player input and broadcasts the audio-video stream tothe respective gaming device 14A.

In one embodiment, the elements of the game include game applicationexecutable code, game graphics, and sound data. The elements of the gamestored in the game contents storage device 16A may also include one ormore configuration properties files which include game device locationdata, e.g., type of location (public area, private area, etc. . . . ),identification of the location of the game device 14A (casino floor,pool, sports books, hotel room, network address, etc. . . . ).

The configuration properties file is used to define the specificationsor attributes of the target game device 14A. As discussed above, thegaming device 14A may be of different types. For example, the gameterminal may be a networked terminal located on the premises, e.g., acasino; a remote device (such as a personal digital assistance or PDA)wire connected to the system 10 through a wireless network, and aninternet device connected to the system 10 across the internet (or othersuitable network). Furthermore, each device 14A may have differentspecifications, e.g., display and/or controls. Since the game is alwaysrun on the game controller 12A, the game application executable code isthe same or independent of the target device 14A. However, the gameapplication executable code does not directly handle the game device14A, e.g., the layout of elements in the audio-video stream related tothe display of the game device 14A. The configuration properties file isused by the game controller 12A to configure or layout the game elementswithin the audio-video stream for a particular type of device 14A. Thus,in one embodiment, there is only a single set of game applicationexecutable code per game, but there may by multiple configurationproperties files (generally one per game device type).

In one aspect, the configuration properties file defines attributes ofthe gaming device. In one embodiment, the configuration properties fileincludes: screen resolution of the display, display coordinates forimages and/or animations, and color depth of the display. Theconfiguration properties file may also include game hold percentages,game denominations, game specific parameters, and maximum payoutthresholds.

As discussed above, the gaming device 14A may be different types. In oneembodiment, the elements of the game can be served to multiple types ofgame devices with multiple configuration properties files, one for eachtype.

In one aspect of the present invention, the game controller 12A includesseveral components: a game control component 18A which runs or executesthe game application executable code, an audio-video creating component20A which retrieves the necessary components from the game contentsstorage device 16A and creates an audio-video stream, and an audio-videobroadcasting component 22A which broadcasts the audio-video streamcreated by the audio-video creating component 22A.

In embodiment, see for example FIG. 4, the game contents storage device16A is embodied in a database on a server 16C.

In one embodiment, the game control component 18A, audio-video streamcreating component 20A, and audio-video stream broadcasting component22A are implemented on or run on a single server computer (not shown).The game storage device 16A may be located on the server computer or ona game contents database server 16C.

In another embodiment, the game control component 18A, audio-videocreating component 20A, and audio-video broadcasting component 22A areall run or implemented on one or more servers, respectively. Forexample, as shown in FIG. 4, the gaming system 10 may include one ormore application control servers 50 for running the game applicationexecutable code, one or more audio-video stream creating clusters 52 forcreating the streaming audio-video, and one or more audio-video streambroadcasting servers 56 for broadcasting the streaming audio-video tothe gaming devices 14, 14A.

The game contents storage device 16A and the game components 18A, 20A,22A may be implemented on a single computer/server or distributed amongdifferent computers/servers.

In one aspect of the present invention, the game contents device 16Astores elements of a second game. With particular reference to FIG. 3B,for example the game contents storage device 16A may include a set ofelements for a first game, A (“Game Package A”) and a set of elementsfor a second game, B (“Game Package B”).

In one embodiment, a player, at any one of the gaming device 14A may begiven the opportunity to choose between the available games. Asdescribed below, once a player chooses a game to play at one of thegaming devices 14A, the set of elements associated with the chosen gameis loaded from the game contents storage device 16A, unless otherwiseloaded and a new instance of the game will be run. As discussed above,in one embodiment, the set of elements will include a single gameapplication executable code for the associated game, but may include oneor more configuration properties files. Each configuration propertiesfile is associated with a type of gaming device, which is used toconfigure the streaming audio-video to the particular gaming device 14Abeing used.

In another aspect of the present invention, the sets of elements ofdifferent games may be arranged in selectable libraries. For example,with particular reference to FIG. 3C, the game contents storage device16A may include first and second libraries 70, 72. Of course, thepresent invention is not limited to two libraries; any number oflibraries may be provided. Each library 70, 72 may include anycombination of one or more the same games, one or more different games,and/or one or more variations of another game. For example, in theillustrated embodiment, library 1 includes game package A (forassociated game A) 62, game package B (for associated game B) 64, andgame package C (for associated game C) 66 and library 2 includes gamepackage A′ (a variation of game A) 62′, game package B 64, and gamepackage D (for associated game D) 68. A variation of a game may includeone more changes to the game, for example, but not limited to, the gamerules, graphics, colors, audio, pay tables, odds, etc. . . .

In one embodiment, the games in only one library 70, 72 are available atany time. For example, library 1 70 may be available on weekdays andlibrary 2 72 may be available on weekends. The libraries 70, 72 may beswitched automatically (according to predetermined rules) or manually.

With particular reference to FIG. 9, in one embodiment, the applicationcontrol server 50 includes multiple shared instances 74, as shown. Themultiple shared instances 74 may include one random number generatormodule 76 (as is known in the art) and a plurality of applicationinstances 78. Typically, the multiple shared instances 74 include anapplication instance 78 for each gaming device or terminal 14A for whichthe application control server 50 executes or runs an instance of thegame application executable code. In the illustrated embodiment, theapplication control server 50 includes four application instances 78A,78B, 78C, 78D for four corresponding gaming devices or terminals 14A.Each application instance 78 is an instance of the game applicationexecutable code for a chosen game at the corresponding device 14A. Forexample, in the illustrated embodiment, the first application instance78A is an instance of the game application executable code for a gamecalled “Incan Pyramid”, the second application instance 78B is aninstance of the game application executable code for “African Treasure”,the third application instance 78C is currently playing a streamingaudio-video of a menu screen through which a player may select a game toplay, and the fourth application instance 78D is a second instance of“Incan Pyramid”.

With particular reference to FIG. 2, in another aspect of the presentinvention, the gaming system 10 provides a gaming service to a user,e.g., a player, employee of the casino, or other user, depending on theservice being provided. The system 10 includes a gaming service device14B and a gaming services controller 12B. In one embodiment, the gamingsystem 10 includes a plurality of gaming service device 14B-01, 14B-02 .. . , and 14B-n for providing one or more game services to one or moreusers.

The gaming service device 14B provides a gaming service in response toinput from the user. The type of user will be dependent upon the servicebeing provided. Gaming services may include, but are not limited toplayer tracking, cashless gaming, or other player related services suchas casino advertisement; gaming devices related services, such asmaintenance, hopper fills, jackpot processing, etc. . . . The gamingservices controller 12B dynamically creates an audio-video stream as afunction of the retrieved elements and the user input, and broadcaststhe audio-video stream to the gaming services device 14B.

In one aspect, a gaming service may be related to, and be provided at agaming device 14A. For example, generally, player tracking services maybe provided to a player at one of the gaming devices 14A. The gamingdevices 14A may provide a game to the player or may be, for example, akiosk specifically designed to provide one or more gaming services. Inone embodiment, the gaming service may be provided at the gaming device14A through a separate or independent device, such as a player trackingdevice 14C (see FIG. 3E). The player tracking device 14C may be anadd-on device (to a gaming device 14A) which is used to specificallyprovide gaming services relating to the gaming device 14A. As shown, theplayer tracking device 14C may include a display 30, an ID reader (suchas an ID Card Reader) 31, controls 32 and a processor 33. The controls32 may include a plurality of mechanical switches or inputs, such as akeypad (not shown). Alternatively, display 30 may be a touchscreendevice and the controls 32 implemented thereon. As discussed above,inputs to the controls 32 may be relayed back to a gaming servicecontroller 12B, which performs all processing related to the gamingservice being provided. The gaming service controller 12B retrieves (ifnot already loaded) a gaming service set of components from a gamingservice(s) contents storage device 16B which may be implemented in adatabase on a server 16D. In a manner similar to the elements of thegames described above, each set of components of the gaming service mayinclude gaming service application executable code, service graphics,and sound data. The gaming service contents storage device 16B alsoincludes configuration properties files. Generally, the executable codeis the same for all types of target gaming services devices 14B.However, the graphics may be different. Specifications of the targetdevice 14B are defined in a configuration properties file associatedwith each type of device 14B.

Returning to FIG. 2, the gaming services controller 12B includes agaming services control component 18B, an audio-video stream creatingcomponent 20B, and an audio-video stream broadcasting component 22B. Theaudio-video stream creating component 20B receives input from the gamingservices control component 18B, i.e., the results of the gamingservices, and the elements of the gaming service from the gamingservice(s) contents storage device 16B and creates a streamingaudio-video as a function thereof. The streaming audio-video isdelivered to the audio-video stream broadcasting component 22B whichbroadcasts the streaming audio-video to the appropriate gamingservice(s) devices 14B. The gaming service contents storage device 16Band the gaming services components 18B, 20B, 22B may be implemented on asingle computer/server or distributed among different computers/servers.

As mentioned above, gaming services may be directed towards playersand/or other users of the system 10. Some services directed towardsplayers, such as player tracking, cashless gaming, comps, cashlessgaming, hotel portfolio, dinner and show reservations, bonus games,progressive jackpots, entertainment and other video/audio services, etc.. . . and/or may be directed towards others, and are described in thefollowing U.S. patent documents which are hereby incorporated byreference:

-   U.S. Patent Application Publication 2004/0082380 published on Apr.    29, 2004 listing Jeffrey George et al as the inventors;-   U.S. Patent Application Publication 2004/0259632 published on Dec.    23, 2004 listing Michael Crittendon et al as the inventors;-   U.S. Patent Application Publication 2005/0181864 published on Aug.    18, 2005 listing Tim Britt et al as the inventors;-   U.S. Patent Application Publication 2005/0059480 published Mar. 17,    2005 listing Thomas Soukup et al as the inventors;-   U.S. Patent Application Publication 2006/0052161 published Mar. 9,    2006 listing Thomas Soukup et al as the inventors;-   U.S. Patent Application Publication 2006/0052162 published Mar. 9,    2006 listing Thomas Soukup et al as the inventors; and-   U.S. Patent Application Publication 2006/058099 published Mar. 16,    2006 listing Thomas Soukup et al as the inventors.

In other embodiments, the gaming services devices 14B may be embodied inremote devices, such as personal digital assistants (PDA) which areconnected to the gaming services controller 12B through a wirelessnetwork. The remote devices 14B may be carried by authorized employeesto allow them to offer or administer specific gaming services. Suchgaming services are described in the following U.S. patent documentswhich are hereby incorporated by reference:

-   U.S. Patent Application Publication 2004/0113360 published Jun. 17,    2004 listing Jeffrey George et al as the inventors;-   U.S. Patent Application Publication 2004/0092303 published May 13,    2004 listing Jeffrey George et al as the inventors;-   U.S. Patent Application Publication 2004/0092314 published May 13,    2004 listing Jeffrey George et al as the inventors;-   U.S. Patent Application Publication 2004/0092306 published May 13,    2004 listing Jeffrey George et al as the inventors;-   U.S. Patent Application Publication 2004/0092305 published May 13,    2004 listing Jeffrey George et al as the inventors;-   U.S. Patent Application Publication 2004/0092304 published May 13,    2004 listing Jeffrey George et al as the inventors;-   U.S. Patent Application Publication 2004/0082386 published Apr. 29,    2004 listing Jeffrey George et al as the inventors;-   U.S. Patent Application Publication 2004/0116185 published Jun. 17,    2004 listing Jeffrey George et al as the inventors;-   U.S. Patent Application Publication 2004/0116184 published Jun. 17,    2004 listing Jeffrey George et al as the inventors;-   U.S. Patent Application Publication 2004/0127291 published Jul. 1,    2004 listing Jeffrey George et al as the inventors;-   U.S. Patent Application Publication 2004/0132531 published Jul. 8,    2004 listing Jeffrey George et al as the inventors;-   U.S. Patent Application Publication 2004-0092307 published May 13,    2004 listing Jeffrey George et al as the inventors;-   U.S. Patent Application Publication 2005/0027381 published Feb. 3,    2005 listing Jeffrey George et al as the inventors; and,-   U.S. Patent Application Publication 2005/0075165 published Apr. 7,    2005 listing Jeffrey George et al as the inventors.

With particular reference to FIG. 3A, in another aspect of the presentinvention the gaming system 10 is adapted to provide both games andgaming services by providing one or more respective audio-video streams.

In the illustrated embodiment, a controller 12 includes both the gamecontroller 12A and the gaming services controller 12B which include thegame control component 18A and the gaming services control component12B, respectively. In the illustrated embodiment, the controller 12includes a single audio-video stream creating component 20 and a singleaudio-video stream broadcasting component 22. The audio-video streamcreating component 20 receives elements of the games and/or gamingservices from the game contents storage device 16A and/or the gamingservices contents storage device 16B, respectively and theoutput/results from the game control component 18A and/or the gamingservices control components 18B, respectively, creates a gameaudio-video stream and a gaming service audio-video stream separately ora single audio-video stream containing presentations of both the gameand the gaming service.

As described above, the components of the controller 12 may beimplemented in a single computer or server or may be distributed amongdifferent computers or servers (see below for examples).

In one embodiment, the game audio-video stream is broadcast to arespective gaming device 14A-01, 14A-02 . . . , and 14A-n. The gamingservices audio-video stream may be broadcast to one of the gamingdevices 14-01. 14-02 . . . , and 14-n or to an associated gamingservices device 14B-01, 14B-02 . . . , and 14B-n (see above). In anotherembodiment, the game audio-video stream may be broadcast to a gamingservices device 14B-01, 14B-02 . . . , and 14B-n to give casinoemployees a notice of a gaming machine error or a jackpot or other eventthat requires attention.

With particular reference to FIG. 3F, in one embodiment the game andgaming services may be directed towards the same display 34. Thus, onlya single, combined audio-video stream is needed. In the illustratedembodiment, the display 34 is divided up into sections. Each section maybe directed towards a specific function. For example, a game portion 36may be utilized to display the game or game information; a game controlportion 38 may be utilized to implement input buttons; a gaming servicesportion may be utilized to display gaming services information, and agaming services control portion may be utilized to implement inputbuttons for the gaming services.

It should be noted that the portions of the display 34 need not bestatic. They may be dynamically re-arranged (including not be includedwhile they are not required).

In another aspect of the present invention, player specific informationmay be incorporated into the audio-video stream. With reference to FIGS.1, 2, and 3A, the gaming system 10 may include a player data storagedevice 24 which is used to store player specific information, e.g., thename of a player, and/or pictures of the player or the player'sassociates or family or friends. The player data storage device 24 maybe implemented as a database and may be part of a player trackingsystem.

Once a player has been identified by the system 10, e.g., through theplayer tracking system, information from the player data storage device24 can be incorporated into the streaming audio-video dynamicallycreated by the controller 12, 12A, 12B.

With particular reference to FIG. 4, in one embodiment the gaming system10 provides games via streaming audio-video to a plurality gamingdevices 14, 14A, 14B. Specifically, games may be provided to computingdevices, such as personal computers, 14C over the Internet or othercomputing network, portable or wireless devices 14D, and to devices ingaming cabinets 14E located on a casino floor.

As described above, gaming services may also be provided to all or someof the devices 14, 14A, 14B. For example, gaming services may beprovided to the computing devices 14C, the remote devices 14D by thesystem 10, and the devices located on the casino floor 14E.

Alternatively, with reference to FIGS. 4 and 6, a legacy or existingsystem 54 may be used to provide some services to some of the devices,such as the devices located on the casino floor 14E. The gaming system10 may include a legacy systems gateway 58 which is an applicationserver that runs system and communication software which processesmessages between the devices 14E and casino management systems 60 suchas a casino accounting system. In the illustrated embodiment, alldevices on the casino floor 14E, e.g., slot machines forwards messagesfrom an existing casino system 60 to the legacy system gateway 58 by acasino system network 55. With reference to FIG. 20, multiple threadsmay be run to each device 14, 14A, 14B. The threads may utilizedifferent protocols supplied by another company or any other suitablepublic or proprietary protocol. At each device 14, 14A, 14B, messagesare packed/unpacked for transportation to/from the legacy system gateway58. In one embodiment, the gateway 58 has an address table to exchangedevice unique ID, for example, an IP address, with an address in thecorresponding protocol.

FIGS. 4 and 6 shows the communication between a slot machine or a device14E and casino management systems. The device 14E has to processmessages from casino management systems with particular communicationprotocols. In the illustrated embodiment, the device does not processmessages but forwards them to the legacy system gateway 58.

Generally, game software includes that system and communication softwarein it. In present invention, game software and system and communicationsoftware may be completely separated. An advantage of this concept isthat casino operators don't need to upgrade all game software running inthe casino by introductions of new devices, new protocols, or newregulations as long as these are not game specific changes. In anotherembodiment, such system and communication software that communicateswith casino management systems may run on the application control server50 to run all game and gaming regulated applications at server side.

Returning to FIG. 4, in the illustrated embodiment the game contentsstorage device 16A and the gaming services storage device 16B areembodied in databases located on one or more storage servers 16C, 16D.In one embodiment, the storage servers 16C, 16D are disk array systemsthat store game and/or services application (executable code), graphicand sound data, and all other system and communication software whichcommunicates with casino management systems.

In the illustrated embodiment, the game control component 18A and thegaming services component 18B are run or executed on application controlserver 50. The application control server 50 is an application serverthat loads game application from servers 16C, 16D and run it. In theillustrated embodiment, all game applications and some of the serverapplications run on the application control server 50.

In the illustrated embodiment, the audio-video stream creatingcomponents 20, 20A, 20B are implemented on the audio-video streamcreating clusters 52. The audio-video stream creating clusters 52 are acluster of the audio-video stream creating servers that load gamegraphics and sound data from the servers 16C, 16D and create streamingaudio-video. In the illustrated embodiment, each server in a cluster hasa graphic processing unit or GPU.

The audio-video stream broadcasting components 22, 22A, 22B areimplemented on the audio-video stream broadcasting server 56. Theaudio-video stream broadcasting server 56 broadcasts streamingaudio-video to each device 14C, 14D, 14E.

With respect to FIG. 4, it should be emphasized that:

-   -   No game application and no game related data is downloaded to,        or preloaded or pre-stored on, the devices 14C, 14D, 14E. All        game applications run on an application control server 50,    -   The devices 14C, 14D, 14E are updated by streaming audio-video        broadcast by the audio-video stream broadcasting server 56,    -   In the illustrated embodiment, (existing) slot machines have to        communicate with an existing casino management system 60.

In FIG. 4, data is represented by dotted lines 80A, 80B, 80C andaudio-video streams are represented by solid lines 82A, 82B, 82C, 82D.

In the illustrated embodiment, the system 10 consists of the applicationcontrol server 50, the contents server(s) 16C, 16D, optionally thelegacy system gateway 58, the audio-video stream broadcasting servers56, and the audio-video stream creating clusters 52. It should be notedhowever that system functionality may be combined or distributed among adifferent number or arrangements of servers.

In one embodiment, a gaming device or terminal 14E may provide to aplayer a selection of games to play. With respect to FIGS. 5 and 10,system flow during game selection is shown. Game play flow is the sameas game selection. Generally, game application won't be reloaded duringgame play.

When a player selects a game at a device, it sends a signal to theapplication control server 50 through the network (84A). Whenever a gameis selected or a player goes back to a menu screen, the applicationcontrol server 50 loads a set of game application program executablecode and its game data model from the contents server 16C (84B). Theapplication control server 50 runs the game application. The gameapplication responsively generates a result of the game to the playerinput, and sends the result to the audio-video creating servers 52, 84C.The audio-video stream creating servers 52 load appropriate gamegraphics and sound data from the contents server 16C, 84D, create anaudio-video stream 90, and send the created audio-video stream to theaudio-video stream broadcasting server 56, 84E to update game screen ofthe device. The audio-video stream broadcasting server 56 broadcasts theaudio-video stream to the device (84F).

Game application logic runs at the application control server 50. Theapplication control server 50 generates a game result in response to asignal from the device 14E. The application control server 50 sends thegame result data to the audio-video stream creating server 52 to showthe game result to the player. In one embodiment, the game result mayinclude animation patterns representing the outcome of the game play.

The features of the system 10 are:

-   -   1. No game application or its data is downloaded to, or        pre-loaded or pre-stored on, a device for game play unlike        conventional downloading gaming system;    -   2. All game applications that generate game outcomes may be run        in highly secure casino server rooms.    -   3. Game application doesn't handle game screen directly so that        the application code is independent of, and this the same for        all, devices (e.g., slot machines, wireless devices and the        Internet browsers without being customized).

With particular reference to FIG. 7, the system 10 is capable ofintegrating games developed by third parties. A block diagram of thesystem 10 is shown. Games provided by a main provider (typically, thesystem manufacturer) are represented by block 86A. As discussed above,game data may be stored in one or more databases located on one or moreservers. Games provided by third party providers are represented by 86B.In one embodiment, the games are designed using a common applicationprogramming interface or API which is typically provided by the mainprovider. Game execution, streaming audio-video creation and broadcastprocesses are performed by block 86C. The games may be selected andplayed at devices or terminals on the casino floor 14E, remote or mobiledevices 14D, and internet gaming devices 14C. As discussed above bothgames provided by the main provider and third party providers may becombined and offered in selectable libraries.

With particular reference to FIG. 8, the system 10 may include a systemmanagement server 88 which manages other servers in the system 10 anddevice information and audit information for game play. The functions ofthe system management server 88 may be combined with other functions ofthe system 10, such as storage of game and/or service contents.

With particular reference to FIGS. 11 and 16, games and/or services (orupdates thereto), i.e., game or service packages, may be providedthrough a games sales and service server 92. The game or servicepackages may be uploaded to the content storage server(s) 16C, 16D via acontents register terminal 93 and through the system management server88. Alternatively or in addition, game packages may be delivered to thesystem on removable media such compact discs (CD) or DVD's 94. A jackpotor bonus server 96 may be connected to the system 10 through the legacysystem gateway 58 to provide bonusing and/or progressive jackpots to theplayers. Alternatively, or in addition, a legacy jackpot or bonuscontroller and host systems 60 may be connected to the system 10 throughthe legacy system gateway 58 to provide bonusing or progressivejackpots.

Additionally, as shown, the controls 28, 32 of the gaming devices 14Bmay include a touchscreen sensor 32A for implementing touchscreencontrols on one or more the displays 26, 30, 34 and/or one or morebuttons 32B. The gaming device 14B may also include other peripheraldevices 98, such as a hopper, printer, card reader, etc. . . .

PDP Media Controller 100

The media controller 100 and plasma displays (PDP) 102A, 102B, are usedto play movies and/or animations for attracting players. The PDP 102A,102B may be inside or outside the casino property. In one embodiment,the media controller 100 and the displays 102A, 102B may show currentprogressive game bank that is placed over the game machines. In legacyor existing media controllers, movies or animations may be pre-encoded.In one embodiment, the media controller 100 may be capable of playingstreaming audio-video created by the audio-video stream creating cluster52 and broadcast by the audio-video stream broadcasting server 56.

With reference to FIGS. 12-15, various embodiments of a system 10 of thepresent invention are shown, with the components thereof located in acasino server room 112 or casino floor 114.

With particular reference to FIG. 12, the game contents registerterminal 93, application control server 50, contents storage server 16C,16D, system management server 88, legacy system gateway 58, and theaudio-video stream creating clusters 52 are located within the casinoserver room 112. The game sales/service server 92 may be located at aremote site, such as the facilities of the game provider.

In this arrangement, separate servers: audio-video stream broadcastingserver for internet 56A, audio-video stream broadcasting server forwireless devices 56B, and audio-video stream broadcasting server forgame devices 56C are used to broadcast audio-video stream to internetdevices 14C, to mobile or remote devices 14D and to game devices 14Elocated on the casino floor 114.

Conventional games 110A, 110B may also be located on the casino floor114. Gaming services are provided to the conventional games 110A, 110Bthrough conventional service related servers. For example a ticket inticket out (TITO) server 104 may allow cashless gaming via printedticketed 122 to be used, accounting services may be provided by anaccounting server 106. Alternatively, another server 108, may provideboth TITO and accounting functionality.

With particular reference to FIGS. 13 and 14, third party downloadablesystems may be integrated into the system 10. In the illustratedembodiment, gaming devices 120A, 120I, 129W from manufacturers A, I, andW, respectively are integrated into the system 10. Each set of gamingdevices 120A, 120I, 120W is connected to a respective downloading server118A, 118I, 118W, respectively. The downloading servers 118A, 118I, 118Wmay be linked to other systems or servers, such as the accounting system106 to provide services related thereto. The downloading servers 118A,118I, 118W may also be linked to the machine configuration server 116and the system management server 88 to allow the downloading systems tobe managed, Each downloading server 118A, 118I, 118W controls thedownloading of new games and updates to games to the respective gameterminals 120A, 120I, 120W.

With particular reference to FIG. 13, all manufacturer' servers mayshare the same network for 3rd party servers 118A, 118I, 118W todownload game contents to terminal. With particular reference to FIG.14, in contrast, each manufacturer may have a separate network todownload game contents.

With particular reference to FIG. 15, games and/or gaming services maybe provided to gaming terminals 120A, 120I, 120W from othermanufacturers (A, I, W) using streaming audio-video as described above.The game contents or packages may be stored in the contents server 16C,16D or alternatively in separate servers (see above). The audio-videostream broadcasting server(s) 56 may provide streaming audio-video toall of the gaming devices or terminals 14, 14A, 14B, 120A, 120I, 120W.

As shown in FIG. 18, game terminal accounting data is stored in aredundant array of independent drives (RAID) or disk array on theaccounting server 106. Game packages may also be stored in another RAID107 on the storage server 16C, 16D. As shown the RAID 107 may includegame package A, game package B, game package C, and other game packages67.

During installation, a user or operators may install a game into thecontents storage server 16C, 16D using the contents register terminal 93and may also activate a gaming device 14, 14A, 14B. When a game isinstalled or a gaming device 14, 14A, 14B is activated, accounting fileswill be created on the system management server 88 and/or the accountingserver 106. As shown, each gaming device will have its own file and afile for each game played on each device may also be created. Theaccountings files should be persistently maintained.

With particular reference to FIG. 19, game play flow will now beexplained. At initialization, no game is selected at a game device 14,14A, 14B. Therefore, the application control server 50 will contain amenu application. In the illustrated embodiment, the first, second andfourth multiple shared instances 78A, 78B, 78D are the menu application,and while the third multiple shared instances 78C is a game application.In step 1, a player selects a game available from the game list providedby the menu application. In step 2, the game application and its modeldata is loaded to the application control server 50 as an instance ofthe game application. Thereafter, the system 10 (as described above),updates the gaming device display(s) based on the user/player input andthe game application via dynamically creating the audio-video streambroadcast to the respective devices 14, 14A, 14B.

With particular reference to FIG. 21, in one embodiment each gaming orgaming services devices 14, 14A, 14B may be capable of being remotelybooted and of its firmware being remotely updated. In the illustratedembodiment, each game or gaming device 14, 14A, 14C includes a gameservice interface module 124 and a set of device drivers 126 for therelated peripherals 98. Each gaming device 14, 14A, 14B also includes anaudio-video stream viewer 128 for receiving the streaming audio-videoand playing it on the displays 26, 30 the gaming device 14, 14B, 14C.

With reference to FIG. 22, the system management server 88 may manageterminal/device and games through a configuration application 132 byusing the terminal/game profile and/or configuration properties files134, 136. The configuration application 132 may be accessed through aterminal console 130. The game application references the profiles 134,136 and updates the terminal profile 134 when changes are made, e.g., tothe denomination being played by the player. Configuration data may bestored in a remote configuration server 138.

With reference to FIG. 23, cashless gaming (EFT/AFT) may be performedusing conventional casino accounting protocols, e.g., SAS or G2S, or anysuitable public or proprietary protocol through the legacy systemgateway 58. Cashless gaming may be performed in a conventional mannerusing a player ID card 142 and a player tracking interface 140, forexample, an existing player tracking device.

With reference to FIG. 24, as discussed above, the system 10 may allowthird parties to provide games to be used by the system 10 and providedto either 3rd party terminals 120D-01, 120D-02 or to other gamedevices/terminals 14A-01, 14A-02. Game contents or packages by the thirdparty may be stored in a 3rd party server 16E. In the illustratedembodiment, game package C 66 has been provided by the 3rd party and isstored on the 3rd party server. As needed, the game C package 66 may beloaded into the multiple shared instances 78.

With reference to FIGS. 25-26, as discussed above games and/or servicesmay be provided to various types of devices 14, 14A, 14B. For example,games and/or services may be provided to devices 14E located on thecasino floor, remote or wireless devices 14D, and/or devices 14Fconnected via the Internet.

In one embodiment, the streaming audio-video may be provided in aformat, e.g., SVG or W3C, which is playable on any type of deviceregardless of its specifications, e.g., screen size.

Alternatively, the streaming audio-video must be created for a specificdevice or device type. Thus, the content server 16C, 16D, 16E mayinclude graphics, sounds, and other elements of a game which are for usefor a specific type of device. For example, in FIG. 25, the servers 16C,16D, 16E include graphics and sounds for games B and C for remote ormobile devices. In FIG. 26, servers 16C, 16D, 16E contain graphics andsounds for remote or mobile devices and for internet devices.

With reference to FIG. 27, the operation of the system 10 may be viewedas having two phases. In the first phase, the audio-video streamcreating process starts when the application control server 50 asks anaudio-video stream creation manager 52′ to update a game screen. Theaudio-video stream creating manager 52′ performs a scheduling function,assigns one server of the audio-video stream creating clusters 52 for agame screen, and may be implemented in a separate server. The server inthe audio-video stream creating clusters 52 assigned to the game screenloads the graphic and sound data, and other needed data from theappropriate storage server 16A, 16B, 16C, and creates appropriate gamescreen image and encodes it into an audio-video stream.

In the second phase, the streaming audio-video is broadcast to thecorresponding device 14, 14A, 14B. First the audio-video stream creatingcluster 52 sends the created audio-video stream to the appropriateaudio-video broadcasting server 56A, 56A, 56C. Then the audio-videostream broadcasting server 56A, 56B, 56C broadcasts the streamingaudio-video to the desired device or terminal 14, 14A, 14B. In oneembodiment, the audio-video stream broadcasting servers 56A, 56B, 56Chave the ability to broadcast multiple audio-video streams to the samedevice 14, 14A, 14B, in the case, e.g., when the device 14, 14A, 14B hasmultiple display devices.

With specific reference to FIGS. 28 and 29, in another aspect of thepresent invention, the system 10 is adapted to provide multiple games,simultaneously, to a player on the same display 26, 30, 34. Each gamewill have its own corresponding game package which will be loaded andused to play the game and creates the audio-video stream broadcast tothe gaming device 14. It should be noted that a single audio-videostream may be created which is broadcast to, and displayed by, thegaming device 14.

With particular reference to FIG. 28, an exemplary screenshot 150 of apossible display configuration is shown. The exemplary screenshot 150 isdivided into 4 game play sections 152A, 152B, 152C, 152D and a gamingservices section 154. A main game may be played and displayed within thefirst game play section 152A and alternative or additional games may beplayed in each of the other game play sections 152B, 152C, 152D. Gamingservice(s) may be provided in the gaming services section 154. In theillustrated embodiment, each element of the game or service, e.g.,graphics and/or text and/or audio, is a separate element stored in thecorresponding game or service package. In one aspect, the size, shape,and location of a section may be contained or defined by a configurationproperties file. The size, shape and location of a section may be staticor dynamic. For example with respect to FIG. 29, a first game section152E may be displayed as all or part of the display 26, 30, 34. A secondgame section 152F may be displayed on top of the first game section152E, as needed. In other words, it is displayed only when needed andmay be dynamically located around the display 26, 30, 34, e.g., by thesystem 10 and/or the player.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

With reference to the Figures, the detailed description, and inpractice, the present invention provides a gaming system with integratedgaming services and casino and gambling services by applying real timecreating audio-video streaming technology. Integration of streaminggames and services provides both synchronized and unsynchronized gamefeatures to players when it is applied to casino floor.

In contrast, in the case of system which downloads games, i.e.,application code, to gaming hardware or terminals, the central serversystem is not able to provide synchronized game features to the gamingdevices and players because each game runs independently on each device.However, integration of streaming games and services enables the centralserver system (of the present invention) to provide synchronized gamefeatures to heterogeneous terminals and players because game logics areexecuted within a central server system in which synchronized game logicand events can be invoked for all terminals and players. In other words,integration of streaming games and services can provide one-to-manycontrol between a central server and many gaming devices while playersare playing games.

Integration of streaming games and services also reduces the maintenancecosts of casino floor. It enables the integration of heterogeneousgaming devices and it does not require game installation for each. Thisconcept encourages game business logics to be reused commonly forvarious gaming devices and platform without any modifications on thegame business logics. One system can cover conventional slot machines,mobile devices, PDAs, Internet gaming, on-line gaming, and displaysdevices for advertisement and etc. . . .

Video Streaming Gaming Server System and Services

The audio-video streaming capability provides features that are hard toimplement in conventional EPROM based gaming systems and downloadablegaming systems which just download game applications and graphics andsound data to a terminal.

The gaming system 10 of the present invention includes four mainconcepts:

-   -   1. Audio-Video Streaming system for game play and services    -   2. Game/System application separation technology and operation    -   3. Full server side system    -   4. Open Gaming Application Environment and API

1. Audio-Video Streaming System for Game Play and Services

In one embodiment, the system 10 includes of at least a pair ofaudio-video stream creating servers and broadcasting servers forpresentation of game play and casino services, respectively. As used inthis document, the “audio-video stream creating/broadcasting server” mayrefer to a single computer or server which dynamically creates streamingaudio-video and broadcasts the audio-video stream to the target devices.Alternatively, the term may refer or include separate audio-videocreating and broadcasting servers. The audio-video streamcreating/broadcasting server is able to provide not only game play butalso several casino services on each gaming device or terminal of thesystem 10.

a. Presentation for Game Play and Services

In conventional gaming systems, such as EPROM based gaming devices, agame application runs on each gaming terminal and uses one or moreLCD/CRT monitor for game play and operator maintenance purpose such asauditing, game configuration and diagnostic. Game graphics and sounddata are stored in one or more storage devices such as EPROM, CDROM andCompact Flash cards. Once the contents have been installed, it won't bechanged until new contents are installed. However, it is not easy andwon't happen frequently due to gaming regulatory requirement. And thegame application is usually not capable of displaying or compilingmaterials other than its contents installed on the terminal. Forinstance, a terminal is not able to display casino advertisement on thescreen in real time without prepared design and program particularly forthis purpose.

In the case of systems with game downloadable capability, a casinooperator is able to install game application and its contents remotelyfrom a server system instead of physical installation at each terminal.With this kind of system, a casino operator can change game morefrequently than EPROM based gaming systems because downloadable gamingsystem has a capability of managing audit meters at the servers that arerequired by gaming regulatory. However, game presentation mechanism isthe same as EPROM based gaming system because game screen will becreated by the game application that is downloaded and installedremotely from a downloadable gaming system.

Simply speaking of the conventional EPROM based gaming system or thedownloadable gaming system, game business logic and presentation logicto create game screen is integrated. And the presentation logic can workonly for the game business logic and terminals or devices designed forunless it is previously designed and programmed.

In the gaming system 10 of the present invention, game business logicand game presentation logic is completely separated each other. Thisconcept is advantageous in following points.

I. The contents to be displayed on game screen are streaming audio-videodynamically created by audio-video stream creating server.

II. The game screen can display non-gaming services like player trackingservices and other services, including alerts, messages and linkedplayer messages, etc. . . . , on the same screen without anymodification on game business logic and presentation logic. This conceptdoesn't require that the game application be previously designed orprogrammed for this purpose. The non-gaming services to be displayed onthe game screen are also player interactive services.

III. The system doesn't limit audio-video devices where the contents aredisplayed. For instance, the same game screen can be displayed on allterminals and display devices simultaneously. For more detailedinstance, a jackpot screen can be displayed on all displayed within thesame casino, which is not only active casino floor but also restaurant,bar, pool side, commercial display outside the casino property, websiteand anywhere the streaming audio-video can be played on.

IV. The streaming audio-video can be played in other casino properties.For instance, celebration movie for a multi-site linked jackpot game canbe played in many casinos in real time. For another instance, twoplayers in different casino properties can be linked through the system.

b. Integration of Gaming Services and Casino Operations

As described in section 1-a. III, audio-video stream created by theaudio-video creating server doesn't limit audio-video devices to playthe contents. This concept can integrate gaming services and casinooperations seamlessly. This means that a gaming device can displaycasino services on the same screen, and non-game displays or othergaming devices can display game screen(s) that are currently displayedon gaming device(s) that are a portion of the system.

This list shows representative gaming or gaming services devices 14A,14B.

I. Gaming Devices

Primary/Secondary LCD devices on slot machine, mobile devices, cellphones, web browser through the Internet, glasses on slot machine wheregame rule or paytable is usually printed, player button panel, etc. . ..

II. Player Tracking Devices

LCD displays mounted on player tracking plate, etc. . . .

III. Operator Displays

Mobile devices that are used for casino operations, for instance amobile device used to redeem printed ticket or voucher for players. Formore instance of this use, a jackpot or an error condition that requiresan operator intervention can alarm floor attendants immediately withstreaming audio-video identifying what is pending on the terminal andwhere it is. This feature may already exist as a portion of casinomanagement system that might alarm upon receiving event messages from aterminal. However, it may not be available at any place. With thisconcept, it can be available even if the casino management systemdoesn't support this feature.

c. Game/Terminal Synchronization

In the gaming system 10 of the present invention, the device (terminal)displays and other display devices for casino operations are a portionof the server system 10. In other words, the system 10 may be viewed asa single device that has multiple or a large number of displays. All thedisplays are controlled by the system 10 so that the system 10 canutilize multiple displays as a wide display.

For example, three slot machines have secondary LCD display in theirtopbox. The system and the audio-video stream creating/broadcastingserver 52, 56 can use all three displays for the same bonus game playwhen a common jackpot bonus game triggers. The system 10 1) may displaysame game screen on each terminal, or 2) may display different gamescreen on each game terminal or 3) may use all the three displays as onewide size display. It is depended on the contents but in any case, alldisplays are synchronized and controlled by the system 10.

With this synchronization, the primary game played on each terminal canbe synchronized or unsynchronized. This allows the system to show casinoadvertisement on the topbox LCD displays while the displays are not usedby the primary game in non-synchronous condition.

The synchronization can be taken place between gaming services andnon-gaming services as described in section 1-b.

2. Game/System Application Separation Technology and Operation

The gaming or gaming services devices may provide services such asgaming services, player credit management, auditing, and hostcommunications. They can be roughly categorized into 1) gaming servicesusually called game application and 2) system services usually calledsystem. The system service is basically common for all games on theterminal.

The gaming system of the present invention can improve costs andprocesses in software upgrade and development for various platforms.

In conventional EPROM based gaming system, those services are usuallystored in the same storage media on a terminal so that a system servicechange will require the game replacement or upgrade because signature ofnew software package will change, and is controlled by regulations. Thismeans that one system service change would cause large amount ofconversion cost.

In conventional downloadable gaming system, those services can beseparated and downloadable separately. Usually, those services arepackaged and works as same as conventional EPROM based gaming system. Ineither ways, those services run on the same terminal, which the gamingservices may not reuse for various gaming devices such as slot machineand mobile devices. One solution for this would be reprogramming thesame game contents for various devices. This would cause large amount ofdevelopment cost.

In both systems, any game and/or system service application software mayrun on a client gaming terminal.

The present invention enables the complete separation of gaming serviceapplication and system service application physically and logically. Andboth applications run on single or multiple servers.

The advantages of this concept are;

a. Separate Upgrade

This requires no game or system application software upgrade andreplacement unlike a conventional EPROM based gaming system, which is anadvantage in cost of software conversion. What's more, this softwareupdate will require no regulatory memory clear processes that will erasecritical information stored in a gaming terminal when new software isinstalled unlike conventional EPROM based and downloadable gamingsystems. This is also an advantage for casino operators and regulators.

b. No Service Applications at Terminal

Both game and system service applications run at the server system. Noservice applications run at client terminal. As described above,audio-video stream created by the audio-video stream creating server andwhich presents game screen can be displayed on any device is as long asthe device is capable of playing the created audio-video stream. Aninstance of this advantage is that the same gaming service applicationcan serve for both a slot machine and a mobile device withoutmodification of the application itself. The presentation of the devicesmay vary, however, the streaming audio-video covers the differences ofthe devices.

It is hard on the conventional EPROM based and downloadable gamingsystem that the same game contents are compatible with heterogeneousdevices, especially if screen resolution is different. So this is anadvantage in cost of game contents development for providing same gamecontents to heterogeneous devices.

c. Multiple Game Play System

The present invention may provide totally different game environmentcompared with the conventional systems, and which is named “MultipleGame Play System”. The Multiple Game Play system can allow playingdifferent games and/or game themes at a time on the same terminal or thedevice. Each game application is completely separated so that each gameapplication runs and generates game result independently.

There are several games that offer multiple game themes or multiple playhands in the same game. However, in both cases, only one gameapplication is played.

For example, four different video slot games are available on a slotmachine. A player will choose one game out of the four games to play inthe case of conventional EPROM based or downloadable gaming systems. Inthe case of this system concept, player can play two or more gamessimultaneously. Selected games can run independently. Moreover, thesystem can synchronize them as well.

The system portion of the Multiple Game Play system can control eachgame application in synchronized or unsynchronized state. During thesynchronized state, the system will wait for completion of all gameapplications to start next game. Even when new game is added to a listof the Multiple Game Play system, no game application will be affected.Of course, a game application can run as traditional single play gamewithout any modification for it.

3. Full Server Side System

As described in section 2-b, no game and system service application runson the gaming devices.

One advantage of the system 10 is that full game and system services maybe seamlessly provided to gaming devices on casino property and Internetgaming devices.

In conventional EPROM based and downloadable gaming system, games andservices are designed and developed to serve on specific platform and/orenvironment. This means a downloadable gaming service application is notcompatible with heterogeneous platforms and devices. For instance, slotmachine requires software tailored for it. Similarly, mobile device orInternet gaming service requires other software tailored or writtenspecifically for that device.

In the present invention, the availability of the game contents whichcan be used commonly for various gaming devices and environment areprovided seamlessly without any modification for the contentsthemselves.

Another advantage of the system 10 about the full server side system isless possibility of tampering the game elements. Regulatory controlrequires storing the game elements on or transferring them to gamedevices be performed under the strictest guidelines. Especially ondownloadable systems, all game elements transferred between servers andgame devices must be encrypted by highly secure and robust encryptionmechanisms to prevent from tampering the gaming elements, which meansthe authenticity of the game elements is the highest requirement inregulatory control. In the present invention, the system 10 haspotential advantage of less possibility of tampering the game devicesthan other gaming systems by transferring all of the game elementsbetween the servers located in highly secure casino server room only.

4. Open Gaming Application Environment and API

In another aspect of the present invention, the system 10 is an opengaming application environment using a common application programminginterface or API. This allows games to be written by a third party (withknowledge of the common API) which may be integrated into the gamelibrary and offered via the system 10. Server Based Gaming System withStreaming Audio-Video. Ideally, the third party games would be locatedon a separate server.

Operation

1. Loading Game Elements

As discussed above, one or more application control servers 50 run orexecute the game and/or service applications. One or more audio-videostream streaming servers 52 create presentations of the game and/orservices for each client terminal in a streaming audio-video format andone or more audio-video broadcasting servers broadcast it. The term of“server” means the audio-video stream creating/broadcasting servers andthe application running on the servers for the creating and broadcastingstreaming audio-video in this document unless otherwise it is specified.

The application control server 50 creates game application instances,corresponding to each client terminal (gaming device or gaming servicesdevice). At the first startup after server installation, it does notcontain any game instance which means a condition “not game entity isassigned”. Once the server starts up, either a menu screen (ifcorresponding client is configured with multiple games and menu screenenabled), or a game element if only one game content is assigned or menuscreen is disabled will be bound to each game instance on the server,which is done by an operator client before starting the servers inoperation.

The instance condition goes into “bound but not loaded yet”. The serverloads game element from one or more game contents servers into servermemory. Game element consists of game application executable code, gamegraphics, and sound data. And it further includes configurationproperties files. This loading process will happen when the serverreceives a player input that indicates a player has selected anothergame from an available game list on the client terminal.

When all necessary game elements are loaded into server memory which canbe RAM and storage devices such as hard disk, the condition goes into“ready to serve”. In this condition, the application control server 50is able to serve games and gaming services with streaming audio-videobut it is not allowed yet by operator. An operator manually and/orautomatically allows the application control server 50 to be inoperation. Then, the application control server 50 will be serving bydynamically creating streaming audio-video and broadcasting it tocorresponding client terminals, then the condition goes to “serving”.Once a game instance goes into this condition, the instance will comeback to the “serving” even after server shutdown.

2. Game Elements

A game element or game packages may consist of at least game applicationexecutable code 61A, a game model 6B, and game graphics and sound data61C. The package may also include configuration properties files and isstored in internal/external storage device as game library package. Gameapplication executable code is designed and programmed independent fromclient types such as slot machine or portable devices, which can be usedwith any client type. The other elements are client specific data thatthe application doesn't use directly but the system 10 uses it tocreating streaming audio-video. In one embodiment, game content ispackaged with one game application code, graphics files, sound data, andconfiguration properties files for one client type. For example, theserver is connected to a slot machine and a PDA device. There are twogame packages; one is for slot machine and the other is for PDA device.

3. Configuration Properties Files

As described above, a game application executable code serves for anykind of client type so that the code does not directly handle clientterminal and device especially game screen because device's screenresolution of the device may vary from device to device. TheConfiguration Properties files define configuration and attributes of aclient device. Following are possible attributes defined in the files,but not limited to:

-   Screen resolution (width×height in pixel)-   Color depth-   Image/Animation display coordinate where each graphic image file    such BMP is displayed on device's screen.-   Game-hold percentages configured by an operator.-   Player denominations configured by an operator-   Game specific configurations such as maximum number of play lines,    credit bet per line, configured by an operator-   maximum payout thresholds.

4. Game Instance

There will be a number of game instances created and running on theserver, according to the same number of the client terminals. Each gameinstance can be assigned to either same game element or differentelement. Each game instance usually serves for a client terminalcorresponding thereto.

In the case of two game instances running on the server, and assigned tothe same game element for the same client type, these instances canshare the same game element loaded from the game contents server(storage for game elements). These instances may not share anything.

5. Multiple Client Type Support

With the Configuration Properties Files, a game content can supportmultiple client types. Several versions of game elements are providedcorresponding to client types. The server loads a game element includingshared game code and its data corresponding to a client type when a gameis selected. The audio-video stream creating server creates game screenin streaming audio-video format from the game element loaded.

6. Synchronization with Player Specific Information

With the Configuration Properties files, screen object can also bedisplayed. An instance of this idea is a text or graphic objectdisplayed on game screen like player's name or picture provided bycasino management system from a player card inserted into the machine.In this case, the configuration properties files and screen elements areautomatically created in real time and provided by casino managementsystems. As for the server, there is no difference between pre-storedgame element and automatically created screen element except itslocation which the element is loaded from. This means the difference is“which content server the audio-video stream creating server will loadelements from”. To do this synchronization, an application program isalso loaded from the same server. The application program works as thesame as game program but it is programmed just for to handle screenelement and not for game play.

The invention has been described in an illustrative manner, and it is tobe understood that the terminology which has been used is intended to bein the nature of words of description rather than of limitation.Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present inventionare possible in light of the above teachings, and the invention may bepracticed otherwise than as specifically described.

1. A gaming system for providing a game to a player at a gaming device,the gaming device for receiving streaming audio-video representing thegame and playing the streaming audio-video on a display and forreceiving input related to the play of the game from the player andrelaying the player input to the gaming system, comprising: a storagedevice for storing elements of a first set of games in a first libraryand a second set of games in a second library, each library being one ofactive and inactive, wherein the games in an active library areavailable to the player at the gaming device and the games in aninactive library are not available to the player at the gaming device;and, a game controller coupled to the storage device and the gamingdevice for receiving the player input from the player, the player inputbeing associated with a chosen game from an active one of the librariesand responsively retrieving the elements of the chosen game from thestorage device, for playing the chosen game, determining an outcome ofthe chosen game, and awarding the player an award if the outcome of thechosen game is a winning outcome, and responsively, dynamically creatingan audio-video stream as a function of the retrieved elements, theplayer input, the outcome of the chosen game, and the award, if any, andfor broadcasting the audio-video stream to the gaming device.
 2. Agaming system, as set forth in claim 1, wherein only library may beactive at any time.
 3. A gaming system, as set forth in claim 1, whereinthe second library includes at least one game which is also in the firstlibrary.
 4. A gaming system, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the secondlibrary includes at least one game which is a variation of a game in thefirst library.
 5. A gaming system, as set forth in claim 1, wherein thesecond library includes at least one game which is not in the firstlibrary.
 6. A gaming system, as set forth in claim 1, wherein theelements of the game include one or more of game application executablecode, game graphics, and sound data.
 7. A gaming system, as set forth inclaim 6, wherein the elements of the game further include gaming devicelocation data.
 8. A gaming system, as set forth in claim 7, wherein thegaming device location data includes a type of location and anidentification of the location of the game device.
 9. A gaming system,as set forth in claim 1, wherein the gaming device includes a display,the storage device stores a configuration properties file containing thedisplay characteristics, the game controller creating the audio-videostream as a function of the configuration properties file.
 10. A gamingsystem, as set forth in claim 9, the gaming system for providing thegame to a second gaming device, the game controller in playing the game,creates first and second instances of the game associated with thegaming device and the second gaming device, respectively.
 11. A gamingsystem, as set forth in claim 10, wherein the game controller includes asingle random number generator used with the first and second instancesof the game.
 12. A gaming system, as set forth in claim 1, the gamingservice for providing a gaming service at the gaming device, the storagedevice for storing elements of the gaming service, the audio-videostream including the gaming service determined as a function of thestored elements of the gaming service and player input.
 13. A gamingsystem, as set forth in claim 12, the gaming system including a separategaming service controller for generating a portion of the audio-videostream associated with the gaming service.
 14. A gaming system, as setforth in claim 1, the gaming device allowing the player to choose asecond game, the game controller for receiving player input associatedwith the second chosen game and responsively retrieving the elements ofthe second chosen game from the storage device, for playing the secondchosen game, determining an outcome of the second game, and responsivelyawarding the player a second award if the outcome of the chosen game isa winning outcome of the second chosen game, the dynamically createdaudio-stream including the chosen game and the second chosen game.
 15. Amethod for providing an electronic game to a player at a gaming device,the gaming device for receiving streaming audio-video representing thegame and playing the streaming audio-video on a display and forreceiving input related to the play of the game from the player andrelaying the player input to the gaming system, comprising: storing afirst library and a second library on a storage device, the firstlibrary including elements of a first set of games, the second libraryincluding elements of a second set of game, each library being one ofactive and inactive, wherein the games in an active library areavailable to the player at the gaming device and the games in aninactive library are not available to the player at the gaming device;allowing a player to choose a game from an active library; responsivelyretrieving the elements of the chosen game from the storage device;playing the chosen game; determining an outcome of the chosen game andresponsively awarding the player an award if the outcome of the chosengame is a winning outcome; responsively, dynamically creating anaudio-video stream as a function of the retrieved elements, the playerinput, the outcome of the chosen game, and the award, if any, and forbroadcasting the audio-video stream to the gaming device.
 16. A method,as set forth in claim 15, wherein only library may be active at anytime.
 17. A method, as set forth in claim 15, wherein the second libraryincludes at least one game which is also in the first library.
 18. Amethod, as set forth in claim 15, wherein the second library includes atleast one game which is a variation of a game in the first library. 19.A method, as set forth in claim 15, wherein the second library includesat least one game which is not in the first library.
 20. A method, asset forth in claim 15, wherein the elements of the game include one ormore of game application executable code, game graphics, and sound data.21. A method, as set forth in claim 20, wherein the elements of the gamefurther include gaming device location data.
 22. A method, as set forthin claim 21, wherein the gaming device location data includes a type oflocation and an identification of the location of the game device.
 23. Amethod, as set forth in claim 15, the gaming device including a display,the method including the step of storing a configuration properties filecontaining the display characteristics on the storage device, theaudio-video stream being created as a function of the configurationproperties file.
 24. A method, as set forth in claim 23, the gamingsystem for providing the game to a second gaming device, the step ofplaying the game including the step of creating first and secondinstances of the game associated with the gaming device and the secondgaming device, respectively.
 25. A method, as set forth in claim 24,wherein the step of playing the game uses a single random numbergenerator with the first and second instances of the game.
 26. A method,as set forth in claim 15, including the step of providing a gamingservice, the method including the step of storing elements of the gamingservice on the storage device, the audio-video stream including thegaming service determined as a function of the stored elements of thegaming service and player input.
 27. A method, as set forth in claim 15,the method including the steps of: allowing the player to choose asecond game; receiving player input associated with the second chosengame and responsively retrieving the elements of the second chosen gamefrom the storage device; playing the second chosen game; and,determining an outcome of the second game, and responsively awarding theplayer a second award if the outcome of the chosen game is a winningoutcome of the second chosen game, the dynamically created audio-streamincluding the chosen game and the second chosen game.